taboo
adjective
proscribed by society as improper or unacceptable.
tabu
-
a variation of
taboo.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The village formed a youth group in 2011 to manage what they call the "tabu area", and the group leads the effort to plant corals and encourage a healthy ecosystem.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
George notes that our word “taboo” is believed to derive from one of two Polynesian words: tapua, which means “menstruation,” or tabu, which means “apart.”
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 7, 2019
The tabu on horses and dogs thus renders unthinkable the consumption of a set of animals whose production is practically feasible and which are nutritionally not to be despised.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 6, 2013
Pastor Salau demonstrated with the Lord's Prayer: Papa belong me fella, stop on top; name belong You he tabu; Pidgin belong you he come down along ground all same on top.
From Time Magazine Archive
During the ten days' tabu Ke-au-nini did not see his wife, but remained shut in his place.
From Legends of Gods and Ghosts (Hawaiian Mythology) Collected and Translated from the Hawaiian by W. D. (William Drake) Westervelt
